A Langley man convicted of a dozen charges linked to dealing drugs for a dial-a-dope ring will be jailed for up to six years, a B.C. Supreme Court judge has decided.
Kyle James Campagna was convicted of multiple counts of trafficking on Oct. 4, 2024. He was back in court in New Westminster on Feb. 19, where Justice Baljinder Kaur Girn passed sentence.
The investigation began in 2021, when Langley RCMP found a business card at the scene where a woman had died of an overdose. RCMP officers believed the card was linked to a dial-a-dope operation, a drug dealing business in which dealers take calls from clients and meet up to exchange drugs for cash.
That led to five undercover drug buys by Langley Mounties, with analysis of the drugs showing it was a mixture of fentanyl and etizolam, a prescription anti-anxiety medication.
Surveillance of the dealer led back to a local apartment, which was raided on Dec. 8, 2021. Campagna and two other people were arrested at the scene, and a large quantity of drugs and cash was seized.
Police found an estimated $112,300 worth of fentanyl, $15,755 worth of cocaine, and smaller amounts of methamphetamine and carfentanil in the apartment.
Officers also seized more than $9,700 in cash.
Girn laid out the circumstances that led Campagna to become a drug dealer in her sentencing ruling. Now 30 years old, Campagna was 27 when he was arrested during the raid.
After a difficult time in school and the death of his grandparents, he dropped out of high school in Grade 10, taking labour jobs. A broken collarbone led to an opioid addiction and an association with drug dealers.
The judge noted that Campagna, who has been in prison since June of 2023, has completed his high school while incarcerated, and has taken a number of other courses and training programs.
His lawyer asked for a two to three year sentence, which with time already spent behind bars would have led to Campagna being released soon. The Crown prosecutor asked for a total sentence of eight years.
Girn's sentence fell closer to the Crown's request, as she imposed a six-year prison term for Campagna.
She accepted Campagna was remorseful, but was "concerned about his lack of insight into the gravity of these offences."
"Mr. Campagna continued to sell drugs even after his two close friends died from drug overdoses," Girn said.
She also found that while he was not in charge of the dial-a-dope scheme, he was a mid-level dealer, with more control over the operation than a mere "worker."
The fact that he knew the toll of fentanyl on the community, particularly after the deaths of his friends, was another aggravating factor, Girn said.
"His conduct was planned and deliberate: he made a conscious decision to make money over the lives and safety of members of his community," said Girn. "His conduct showed a high level of disregard for human life."
She noted that subtracting the time he has already spent in prison, counted as 1.5 times for pre-trial custody, Campagna will still have to serve four years, five months, and three days of his sentence.
He is also banned from possessing any kind of gun, crossbow, or explosives for 10 years.
